A look at the scope of pregnancy and family resources in and around MacEwan’s campus

When I asked my friend why she didn’t attend our 8 am class, I expected the usual spiel about how 8 am classes suck — how she just couldn’t get out of bed. I didn’t expect her to say she vomited early in the morning. As a joke, I asked if there was a possibility that she was pregnant. After a short pause, she said an enthusiastic ‘maybe!’

Despite being an adult in my early 20’s with full autonomy, pregnancy feels nearly impossible to attain. It’s just so inconvenient and impractical at my stage of life.Yet, pregnancy is a valid option according to my “biological clock”, and to my friend, her reality.

Last year, Canada hit a new low for birth rates, which continue to decline. For most post secondary students, family planning is a distant goal. 

Would the prospects of starting a family be more practical and achievable if institutions like academia were more accommodating to those choosing to start a family? 

Student parents making it work

Ben has been back to his studies at MacEwan for about three years, almost as long as his fatherhood. Sometimes, he just has to miss a class to stay home to care for his family. Though he’s always there for the big moments at home. “Being able to balance all of that is heavy, honestly,” he says. “There’s no better feeling in the world.” 

“There’s a lot of adjustments you have to make,” says Abby, a pregnant MacEwan student. She had to withdraw from a class due to morning sickness. She told her professor about her pregnancy, but is hesitant to tell her other professors. She says, “At school, you’re an individual with agency…but once you’re like, a pregnant human, people tend to like, look at you as, like, a walking incubator.” She’s found how a person reacts to her pregnancy is reflective of how they perceive women as a whole. 

Abby also had to transition to different, ‘safer medications for the baby.’ One side effect has been hyper-insomnia, affecting her ability to study and focus as a student. 

Resources on campus

If Abby missed her deadline to withdraw, she could complete MacEwan’s Exception request form that has three options to check as a reason: a significant medical condition, for family bereavement, or for anything else, where you may be eligible for a one-time only adjustment. 

At the time of writing, MacEwan has ten Busaries and Awards for students with children. Between 2022 to 2023, 600 student parents received awards from MacEwan for a total over $860,000.

The Pantry of SAMU provides diapers and baby food for parent students.

MacEwan’s mystudentplan health insurance provides up to $2000 for private tutoring to those staying in the hospital for a minimum of 15 consecutive days. Some of the eligible counsellors included in the $600 maximum for mental health practitioners are sexologists and marriage and family therapists. 

If you need to pursue a civil case, like in Family Law, a student’s mylegalplan covers up to $3,250 per incident.

Full time students (taking at least three classes) ‘with dependents’ can apply for a Federal student grant. Students could receive up to $280 for each month in school, or up to $2,240 per year, for each dependent with this grant. Part time students could also apply within a certain criteria. 

There’s entertainment on campus for children too, like the “Story Walk” a children’s book, divided across 18 locations, between Building 7 and 5. The MacEwan library also has a section of bookshelves for children’s books.  

Know what you don’t have 

Miss an exam due to morning sickness? The fee to take a deferred exam is 50$, with a maximum of three per semester. 

Many elements of family planning aren’t covered under MacEwan’s health insurance like non-oral contraceptives, miscarriage after-care therapy, and miscarriage medication. The critical illness insurance does not cover pregnancy. 

Abby is in her mid-twenties and says she doesn’t see many students her age on campus who are parents, or expecting, unlike her prior university which was a private, Christian school with many young families. So, she’s seen the support that comes from more programs for student parents. She says, “the really good programs that exist at MacEwan exist because somebody else had an issue and they decided to not just make it about them, but make it about the people that came later.”

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Photo by Amanda Erickson